Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08G—MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS OBTAINED OTHERWISE THAN BY REACTIONS ONLY INVOLVING UNSATURATED CARBON-TO-CARBON BONDS
  • C08G77/00—Macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming a linkage containing silicon with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen or carbon in the main chain of the macromolecule
  • C08G77/04—Polysiloxanes
  • C08G77/22—Polysiloxanes containing silicon bound to organic groups containing atoms other than carbon, hydrogen and oxygen
  • C08G77/28—Polysiloxanes containing silicon bound to organic groups containing atoms other than carbon, hydrogen and oxygen sulfur-containing groups
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L69/00—Compositions of polycarbonates; Compositions of derivatives of polycarbonates
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08K—Use of inorganic or non-macromolecular organic substances as compounding ingredients
  • C08K5/00—Use of organic ingredients
  • C08K5/54—Silicon-containing compounds
  • C08K5/548—Silicon-containing compounds containing sulfur
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L51/00—Compositions of graft polymers in which the grafted component is obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
  • C08L51/04—Compositions of graft polymers in which the grafted component is obtained by reactions only involving carbon-to-carbon unsaturated bonds; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers grafted on to rubbers
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L83/00—Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing silicon with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen or carbon only; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
  • C08L83/04—Polysiloxanes
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C08—ORGANIC MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS; THEIR PREPARATION OR CHEMICAL WORKING-UP; COMPOSITIONS BASED THEREON
  • C08L—COMPOSITIONS OF MACROMOLECULAR COMPOUNDS
  • C08L83/00—Compositions of macromolecular compounds obtained by reactions forming in the main chain of the macromolecule a linkage containing silicon with or without sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen or carbon only; Compositions of derivatives of such polymers
  • C08L83/04—Polysiloxanes
  • C08L83/08—Polysiloxanes containing silicon bound to organic groups containing atoms other than carbon, hydrogen and oxygen

Definitions

• This invention relates to an additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin, a flame retardant resin composition, and an article molded from such composition. More specifically, this invention relates to an additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin capable of realizing excellent flame retardancy which does not contain environmentally harmful halogen flame retardant or phosphorus flame retardant, and this invention also relates to a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition adapted for use in producing various components in electric, electronic, and OA appliance which are required to have excellent mechanical properties including impact strength as well as good moldability and outer appearance, and which are also required to meet extremely strict flame retardancy standards. This invention also relates to an article molded from such composition.
• PC Polycarbonate resins
• the flame retardants used for the polycarbonate resin have mostly been bromine compounds which were optionally used with antimony trioxide.
• Such resin composition generates bromine gas in the burning of the resin, and this invites environmental contamination.
• use of a phosphorus flame retardant, for example, a phosphate ester simultaneously with or without the bromine compound has been recently reported as an attempt to reduce the amount of the bromine compound used.
• phosphorus flame retardants has a drawback that it decomposes during its use inviting loss of the mechanical strength of the resin composition, and such phosphorus flame retardants could not completely solve the problem of environmental contamination.
• Patent Document 1 JP-A 51-045159 proposes a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition comprising an organic acid salt such as sulfonate salt of an alkaline metal or alkaline earth metal, polytetrafluoroethylene, and an aromatic polycarbonate
• Patent Document 2 JP-A 06-073281 proposes a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition comprising a polycarbonate, an alkali metal salt or an alkaline earth metal salt of a perfluoroalkanesulfonic acid, and epoxy resin
• Patent Document 3 JP-A 2004-155938 proposes a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition comprising a polycarbonate resin, a metal salt of an aromatic sulfur compound, a fiber-forming fluorine-containing polymer, and a polyorganosiloxane.
• Patent Document 4 JP-A 2003-064229 proposes a flame retardant resin composition
• a metal sulfonate salt of styrene polymer in which an aromatic monomer unit having sulfonate group in the aromatic skeleton constitutes 15 to 45% by mole of the total monomer units, a styrene polymer having a content of the metal sulfate of up to 5% by weight, and a polycarbonate.
• This flame retardant resin composition suffered from insufficient thermal stability that invited yellowing of the composition as well as insufficient weatherability.
• the compositions suffered from the drawback that the composition was insufficient in the flame retardancy, and when a flame retardant was incorporated at an amount sufficient for realizing the flame retardancy, the composition exhibited loss of the melt thermal stability and the molded article underwent yellowing and drastic loss of mechanical strength.
• polycarbonate composition is the one prepared by blending a polycarbonate resin with a styrene/acrylonitrile graft copolymer such as ABS resin, and this material is widely used in the field of automobiles as well electric and electronic appliances because it is a thermoplastic resin material having excellent mechanical properties, flowability, and thermal properties. In the field where the flame retardancy is required, a flame retardant is blended in such composition.
• Exemplary halogen-free flame retardant materials having reduced environmental stress include a resin composition comprising a polycarbonate resin and an ABS resin having a phosphorus flame retardant incorporated therein (see for example, Patent Documents 5 and 6: JP-A 02-115262 and JP-A 02-032154 ). These materials, however, suffered from the problems such as decrease in the distortion temperature under load as well as generation of the mold deposit.
• Patent Document 7 JP-A 11-172063 proposes a resin composition comprising a polycarbonate resin and an ABS resin having a metal sulfonate salt of the polystyrene incorporated therein.
• the metal sulfonate salt was incorporated at an amount sufficient for realizing the flame retardancy, impact strength and distortion temperature under load of the resin composition decreased, and the molded article exhibited insufficient outer appearance.
• Patent Document 8 JP-A 2002-167499 proposes a flame retardant resin composition formed form a polymer comprising a polycarbonate resin, a styrene resin, silicon, boron, and oxygen which has skeleton substantially constituted from silicon - oxygen bond and boron - oxygen bond, and which has aromatic ring in its molecule. This resin composition, however, was insufficient in the flame retardancy and impact strength.
• Patent Document 9 JP-A 2004-035587 proposes a flame retardant resin composition comprising an aromatic polycarbonate resin, a styrene resin, an organic alkali metal salt and/or organic alkaline earth metal salt, and a silicone compound having functional groups. This flame retardant resin composition was commercially unpractical due to the insufficient glossiness and insufficient tensile elongation at the welded portion.
• the resin compositions comprising a polycarbonate resin, a styrene resin such as ABS, and a flame retardant have been insufficient in distortion temperature under load, impact strength, and weld strength, and exhibited mold deposit and unfavorable outer appearance, and, currently available flame retardant resin compositions have been unacceptable for use in commercial applications.
• the present invention has been made in view of the situation as described above.
• An aim herein is to provide new and useful additives which can impart flame retardancy to organic resins, especially polycarbonate resins, and which do not rely on halogen or phosphorus flame retardants - which are environmentally harmful and adversely affect the performance of the product as mentioned above - but which satisfy strict flame retardancy requirements to a level comparable to such harmful flame retardants.
• Other aspects of the invention are methods of making the novel additive compounds, their use as fire retardants in organic resins, especially polycarbonate resin compositions, and the corresponding flame-retardant resin materials and articles. Products having good mechanical properties, moldability, and outer appearance are a particular aim.
• a resin composition produced by blending a polycarbonate resin or a polymer alloy of the polycarbonate resin and another thermoplastic resin with a small amount of a novel silicone compound having phenyl group, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group, and siloxane bond can have a high level of flame retardancy.
• a novel silicone compound having phenyl group, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group, and siloxane bond can have a high level of flame retardancy.
• a novel silicone compound having phenyl group, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group, and siloxane bond can have a high level of flame retardancy.
• carbide covers the surface of the burning resin to cause delay in the supply of the decomposed gas generated in the interior of the resin to the site of burning.
• the present invention provides an additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin comprising a silicone compound having phenyl group bonded to silicon atom, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom), and siloxane bond.
• the present invention also provides a flame retardant resin composition
• a flame retardant resin composition comprising 100 parts by weight of a resin comprising 50 to 100% by weight of a polycarbonate resin (A) and 0 to 50% by weight of a thermoplastic resin (B) other than the polycarbonate resin; and 0.01 to 5.0 parts by weight of an additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin (C) comprising a silicone compound having phenyl group bonded to silicon atom, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom), and siloxane bond.
• thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate resin, silicone modified polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS) resin, polyphenylene ether resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polysulfone, polylactic acid, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polyoxyethylene, cellulose acetate, and cellulose nitrate.
• a thermoplastic resin such as polycarbonate resin, silicone modified polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS) resin, polyphenylene ether resin, polyester resin, polyamide resin, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polysulfone, polylactic acid, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polyoxyethylene,
• a flame retardant resin composition prepared by incorporating this additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin in a polycarbonate resin or a polymer alloy of a polycarbonate resin and another thermoplastic resin, and an article molded therefrom do not use the environmentally harmful halogen or phosphorus flame retardant which also adversely affects the performance of the product but satisfy the severe flame retardancy requirements at the level equivalent to those employing such flame retardants.
• Such flame retardant resin and article molded therefrom are also excellent in mechanical properties such as impact strength, moldability, outer appearance, and thermal stability, and therefore, they are well adapted for use in various applications, and in particular, in the application of electric, electronic, OA components as well as application of precision components.
• the additive is or comprises a silicone compound having phenyl group bonded to the silicon atom, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom), and siloxane bond (siloxane moiety).
• the silicone compound used is the one having phenyl group bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule in view of the dispersibility in the organic resin, such as particularly in a polycarbonate resin, and capability of imparting flame retardancy to such resin.
• siloxane units comprised in the silicone compound include phenylsilsesquioxane unit and diphenylsiloxane.
• content of the phenyl group in relation to total organic groups bonded to silicon atom in the molecule is preferably 20 to 90% by mole, and more preferably, 30 to 70% by mole.
• the silicone compound used also contains an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group (-SO 3 M group) bonded to the silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom) in the molecule in view of the capability of imparting flame retardancy with the organic resin, and preferably, with a polycarbonate resin.
• content of the hydrocarbon group containing the alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group in relation to the total organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is preferably 3 to 50% by mole, and more preferably, 5 to 40% by mole.
• the metal atom M in the alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group (-SO 3 M group) may be, for example, an alkali metal such as lithium, sodium, or potassium; or an alkaline earth metal such as magnesium, calcium, or barium.
• the metal atom M is preferably sodium and/or potassium.
• the alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom via the hydrocarbon group is, for example, an aryl group such as phenyl group, an alkenyl group such as vinyl group, allyl group, an alkyl group substituted with epoxy group, a halogenated alkyl group, or an alkyl group substituted with mercapto group, bonded to an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate.
• the hydrocarbon group is preferably the one containing 1 to 18 carbon atoms, and in particular, the one containing 2 to 10 carbon atoms.
• Exemplary organic groups other than the phenyl group or the hydrocarbon group having the alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group, include unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon groups such as alkyl groups, alkenyl groups, aryl groups other than phenyl group, and aralkyl groups, and substituted monovalent hydrocarbon groups containing 1 to 18, and in particular, 1 to 10 carbon atoms. Also included are such monovalent hydrocarbon groups substituted with halogen atom, epoxy group, mercapto group. Content of such groups is preferably 0 to 77% by mole, and in particular, 0 to 65% by mole in - relation to the total organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule.
• the alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group in the molecule is assumed to promote formation of a carbide layer by accelerating thermal decomposition of the organic resin during the burning, and such action together with the synergetic actions such as coupling action by the phenyl group in the same molecule and formation of an inorganic flame retardant layer by the siloxane backbone promptly blocks supply of the oxygen to thereby extinguish fire and prevent dripping.
• the silicon compound used in the invention is a polymer having a siloxane bond and not a monomer compound, and in view of the capability of forming the flame retardant layer, the silicone compound is preferably a polymer having a branched structure.
• the ratio of the tetrafunctional unit SiO 2 , trifunctional unit RSiO 3/2 , difunctional unit R 2 SiO, and monofunctional unit R 3 SiO 1/2 is preferably such that:
• Such silicone compound may be any silicone compound having a non-limited composition and structure, and use of a combination of two or more silicone compounds having different composition and structure is also acceptable.
• the production method used in producing such silicone composition is not particularly limited, and the silicone compound may be produced by a method known in the art.
• a silane having a structure corresponding to the target silicone compound or a precursor of such silane compound may be simultaneously hydrolyzed optionally in the presence of an appropriate organic solvent, and an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group may be incorporated in the hydrolysate to thereby obtain the target product.
• an alkoxysilane, a silicone oil, or a cyclic siloxane having an organic residue such as phenyl group, methyl group, vinyl group, glycidoxypropyl group, chloropropyl group, or mercaptopropyl group in the molecule is used for the starting material
• an acid catalyst such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, or methanesulfonic acid may be used optionally by adding water for hydrolysis to thereby promote the polymerization, and an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group may be thereafter introduced to obtain the intended product.
• the phenyl group which is a substituent critical in the silicone compound of the present invention can be introduced by using phenyltrichlorosilane, diphenyldichlorosilane, phenyltrimethoxysilane, diphenyldimethoxysilane, and the like for the starting material.
• a trifunctional phenyl silane such as phenyltrichlorosilane or phenyltrimethoxysilane is preferable.
• Exemplary methods used in introducing the alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group include (1) a method in which the phenyl group is sulfonated by sulfuric acid or anhydrous sulfuric acid, and neutralized by sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, or the like to produce an alkali metal sulfonate salt; (2) a method in which an alkenyl group is turned into an alkali metal sulfonate salt by sodium hydrogen sulfite or potassium hydrogen sulfite; (3) a method in which epoxy group is turned into an alkali metal sulfonate salt by sodium hydrogen sulfite or potassium hydrogen sulfite; (4) a method in which a halogenated alkyl group is turned into an alkali metal sulfonate salt by sodium hydrogen sulfite or potassium hydrogen sulfite; and (5) a method in which mercapto group is sulfonated by hydrogen
• a method may be employed in which a silane mixture comprising
• the production is conducted by dissolving a phenyl group-containing silane (for example, phenyltrimethoxysilane or diphenyldimethoxysilane), a mercapto group-containing silane (for example, mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane or mercaptopropylmethyldimethoxysilane), and an optional silane other than such silanes (for example, methyltrimethoxysilane or dimethyldimethoxysilane) in a hydrophilic organic solvent such as methanol; adding a predetermined amount of aqueous solution of hydrogen peroxide dropwise for maturing to thereby oxidize mercapto group and produce sulfonate group; simultaneously conducting hydrolysis by water in the reaction system using the sulfonate group for the catalyst to produce a polymer having siloxane bond; neutralizing the sulfonate group by adding aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide for substitution
• the low boiling content or the impurities are removed by the operation such as heating for removal by distillation, washing with water, or drying to produce the silicone compound containing 100% of the effective component.
• the resulting product is a solid
• the solid is preferably pulverized to obtain a product in the form of a fine powder.
• the silicone compound is produced by such production method, the product may contain residual mercapto group or sulfonate group which failed to undergo the reaction in addition to the target alkali metal sulfonate salt group or the alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group.
• Such presence of the functional groups is acceptable as long as such presence does not adversely affect various properties of the flame retardant resin composition produced by adding such silicone compound to the organic resin as a flame retardant additive.
• the silicone compound having phenyl group bonded to the silicon atom, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom), and siloxane moiety of the present invention can be used as a flame retardant for various thermoplastic resins including polycarbonate resins, silicone modified polycarbonate resins, polystyrene resins, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS) resins, polyphenylene ether resins, polyester resins, polyamide resins, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polysulfone, polylactic acid, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polyoxyethylene, cellulose acetate, and cellulose nitrate.
• various thermoplastic resins including polycarbonate resins, silicone modified polycarbonate resins, polys
• the flame retardant resin composition comprising a polycarbonate resin (A) or a polymer alloy of a polycarbonate resin (A) and a thermoplastic resin (B) other than the polycarbonate resin (A) blended with an additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin (C) comprising a silicone compound having phenyl group bonded to the silicon atom, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom), and siloxane bond is particularly useful as a material for producing a molded article having various excellent properties including the excellent flame retardancy.
• polycarbonate resin used for the component (A) of the flame retardant resin composition of the present invention examples include a straight chain or branched homopolymer or a copolymer of the thermoplastic aromatic polycarbonate produced by reacting an aromatic dihydroxy compound or a mixture of an aromatic dihydroxy compound and a small amount of polyhydroxy compound with phosgene or a carbonate diester.
• Exemplary polymerization methods used in producing the polycarbonate resin includes interfacial polycondensation (phosgeneation) and melt polymerization (transesterification).
• Such compound is preferably used at 0.01 to 10% by mole, and more preferably at 0.1 to 2% by mole in relation to the total amount of the aromatic
• Molecular weight of the polycarbonate resin can be adjusted in the course of the polycarbonate resin production, and more specifically, by supplying an alkaline aqueous solution of the aromatic dihydroxy compound and a monovalent aromatic hydroxy compound as a chain terminator, and the halogenated carbonyl compound at a predetermined constant molar ratio to the organic solvent in the presence of a polymerization catalyst.
• exemplary monovalent aromatic hydroxy compounds used for the chain terminator include m- or p-methyl phenol, m- or p-propyl phenol, p-tert-butylphenol, and long chain alkyl-substituted phenol.
• Exemplary preferable polycarbonate resin used include a polycarbonate resin derived from 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane and a polycarbonate copolymer derived from 2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane and another aromatic dihydroxy compound.
• the resin may be a polymer having siloxane structure, and for example, an oligomer having siloxane structure may be incorporated in order to improve the flame retardancy.
• the polycarbonate resin may preferably have a molecular weight in the range of 15,000 to 40,000, and more preferably, 16,000 to 30,000 as measured in terms of viscosity average molecular weight calculated from the viscosity of the solution using methylene chloride for the solvent at a temperature of 25°C.
• thermoplastic resin (B) other than the polycarbonate resin used in the flame retardant resin composition of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is the one commonly used for producing an article molded from a thermoplastic resin.
• thermoplastic resins include silicone modified polycarbonate resin, polystyrene resin, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS) resin, polyphenylene ether resin, polyester resin, and polyamide resin, and also, polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutene, polysulfone, polylactic acid, polyvinyl acetate, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, polymethyl methacrylate, polyoxyethylene, cellulose acetate, and cellulose nitrate.
• ABS acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene
• thermoplastic resins the particularly preferred is the rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile graft copolymer produced by polymerizing styrene monomer and (meth)acrylonitrile in the presence of a rubber because such resin is widely used as a polymer alloy with the polycarbonate resin.
• such copolymer is sometimes referred to as the "rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile copolymer”.
• the "rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile copolymer” may be produced by simultaneously polymerizing other compolymerizable monomer with the main styrene monomer, acrylonitrile and/or methacrylonitrile.
• Exemplary styrene monomers used for the starting material of the rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile copolymer include styrene, ⁇ -methylstyrene, p-methylstyrene, and the preferred is styrene.
• Examples of the (meth)acrylonitrile include acrylonitrile and methacrylonitrile.
• Other copolymerizable monomers include alkyl (meth)acrylates such as methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, propyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate, maleimide, and N-phenylmaleimide, and the preferred is the alkyl (meth)acrylate.
• “(meth)acrylonitrile” means acrylonitrile and/or methacrylonitrile
• “(meth)acryl” means acryl and/or methacryl.
• the rubber in the presence of which the polymerization is conducted is preferably a rubber having a glass transition temperature of up to 10°C.
• Exemplary such rubbers include diene rubbers, acryl rubbers, ethylene/propylene rubbers, and silicone rubbers, and the preferred are diene rubbers and acryl rubbers.
• Exemplary diene rubbers include polybutadiene, butadiene/styrene copolymer, polyisoprene, a lower alkyl ester copolymer of butadiene/(meth)acrylic acid, and a lower alkyl ester copolymer of butadiene/styrene/(meth)acrylic acid.
• Examples of the lower alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid include include methyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, and ethyl methacrylate.
• Proportion of the lower alkyl ester of (meth)acrylic acid in the lower alkyl ester copolymer of butadiene/(meth)acrylic acid or the lower alkyl ester copolymer of butadiene/styrene/(meth)acrylic acid is preferably up to 30% by weight of the rubber weight.
• Exemplary acrylic rubbers include synthetic rubbers produced from an alkyl ester of acrylic acid.
• the alkyl group constituting the ester is preferably in the range of 1 to 8.
• Examples of the alkyl acrylate rubber include ethyl acrylate, butyl acrylate, and ethylhexyl acrylate.
• the alkyl acrylate rubber may optionally contain a crosslinkable ethylenically unsaturated monomer, and the crosslinking agent may be, for example, an alkylenediol, di(meth)acrylate, polyester di(meth)acrylate, divinylbenzene, trivinyl benzene, triallyl cyanurate, allyl (meth)acrylate, butadiene, or isoprene.
• the acrylic rubber may also be a core-shell type polymer having a crosslinked diene rubber for the core.
• content of the styrene monomer is typically 10 to 90% by weight, and preferably 25 to 85% by weight; content of the (meth)acrylonitrile is typically 5 to 40% by weight, and preferably 5 to 25% by weight; and content of the rubber is typically 5 to 80% by weight, and preferably 10 to 50% by weight.
• Content of other copolymerizable monomers in the rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile copolymer is typically up to 20% by weight, and preferably up to 10% by weight.
• the method used in the graft polymerization of the styrene monomer and the (meth)acrylonitrile monomer in the presence of a rubber is not particularly limited.
• the graft polymerization is typically accomplished by emulsion polymerization or mass polymerization.
• the rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile copolymer used in the present invention may be the one produced by either method.
• the rubber modified styrene/(meth)acrylonitrile copolymer is typically a graft copolymer in which the rubber has grafted thereto a copolymer of monomers at least including styrene and (meth)acrylonitrile, or a mixture containing a copolymer in which only the monomers are mutually copolymerized.
• graft copolymers produced by polymerizing the styrene monomer and the (meth)acrylonitrile in the presence of a rubber include ABS resin, AES resin, and AAS resin.
• content of the component (B) is 0 to 50% by weight because inclusion of the component (B) at a content in excess of 50% by weight is likely to invite loss of heat resistance, and the content is preferably 0 to 35% by weight.
• the component (C) namely, the additive for imparting flame retardancy with an organic resin with an organic resin comprising a silicone compound having phenyl group bonded to the silicon atom, an alkali metal sulfonate salt group or an alkaline earth metal sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom via a hydrocarbon group (optionally containing a hetero atom), and siloxane bond is preferably at a content of 0.01 to 5.0 parts by weight, more preferably at 0.05 to 3.0 parts by weight, and more preferably at 0.1 to 2.0 parts by weight in relation to 100 parts by weight of the resin component comprising 50 to 100% by weight of a polycarbonate resin (A) and 0 to 50% by weight of a thermoplastic resin (B) other than the polycarbonate resin.
• the flame retardant resin composition of the present invention may also have optionally incorporated therein an additive such as a polyfluoroethylene resin capable of forming fibrils, a silicone compound other than the component (C), a flame retardant known in the art (which is preferably not a halogen flame retardant or a phosphorus flame retardant), an elastomer, a UV absorbent, a phenol antioxidant, a phosphorus thermal stabilizer, a pigment, a dye, a lubricant, a mold releaser, a plasticizer, an antistatic agent, or a slidability improving agent; a reinforcing agent such as glass fiber, glass flake, carbon fiber, or metal fiber; a whisker such as potassium titanate, aluminum borate, or calcium silicate; or an inorganic filler such as mica, talc, or clay at an amount that does not adversely affect the benefits of the present invention.
• the addition may be accomplished by any method known in the art adequate for realizing the benefit of adding the respective additive component.
• the method used in the mixing the components (A) to (C) and other optional components for producing the flame retardant resin composition of the present invention is not particularly limited.
• the components may be kneaded in a kneading apparatus such as a single screw or multi screw kneader, a Banbury mixer, rolls, or a Brabender plastogram, and cooled for solidification.
• the components may be added to an appropriate solvent such as a hydrocarbon solvent, for example, hexane, heptane, benzene, toluene, or xylene or derivatives thereof to thereby mix the soluble components in the solvent or mix the soluble and insoluble components in the state of suspension.
• the kneading is preferably accomplished by using a single screw or multi screw kneader.
• the method used in producing a molded article from the flame retardant resin composition of the present invention is not particularly limited, and any method commonly used with the thermoplastic resin can be employed. Exemplary such methods include moldings such as injection molding, blow molding, extrusion, sheet forming, thermal molding, rotational molding, and lamination.
• the silicone compounds obtained in the Synthesis Examples were evaluated for their content of S element and Na element or K element by decomposing the silicone compound with nitric acid and conducing ICP-AES.
• the content in the form of cake which failed to dissolve in the methanol was added to a mixed solvent of 200 g of methanol and 300 g of ion exchanged water, and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour with cooling in an ice water.
• the resulting homogeneous dispersion was filtered to remove the remaining ionic impurities.
• the resulting product in the form of a cake was washed with acetone, and then dried at 100°C for 5 hours at a reduced pressure of 10 Torr to remove the remaining acetone and water.
• the resulting product was pulverized in a mortar to obtain 128 g of a fine white powder.
• the thus obtained silicone compound 1 has a theoretical structure such that content of the phenyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 50% by mole; content of the potassium sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom by the intervening propyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 21.4% by mole; it has siloxane bond; content of the branched structure containing trifunctional siloxane unit in all siloxane unit is 60% by mole.
• the thus obtained silicone compound 2 has a theoretical structure such that content of the phenyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 50% by mole; content of the sodium sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom by the intervening propyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 21.4% by mole; it has siloxane bond; content of the branched structure containing trifunctional siloxane unit in all siloxane unit is 60% by mole.
• the content in the form of cake which failed to dissolve in the methanol was added to a mixed solvent of 200 g of methanol and 300 g of ion exchanged water, and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour with cooling in an ice water.
• the resulting homogeneous dispersion was filtered to remove the remaining ionic impurities.
• the resulting product in the form of a cake was washed with acetone, and then dried at 100°C for 5 hours at a reduced pressure of 10 Torr to remove the remaining acetone and water.
• the resulting product was pulverized in a mortar to obtain 134 g of a fine white powder.
• the thus obtained silicone compound 3 has a theoretical structure such that content of the phenyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 70% by mole; content of the potassium sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom by the intervening propyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 7.1% by mole; it has siloxane bond; content of the branched structure containing trifunctional siloxane unit in all siloxane unit is 60% by mole.
• the content in the form of cake which failed to dissolve in the methanol was added to a mixed solvent of 400 g of methanol and 300 g of ion exchanged water, and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour with cooling in an ice water.
• the resulting homogeneous dispersion was filtered to remove the remaining ionic impurities.
• the resulting product in the form of a cake was washed with acetone, and then dried at 100°C for 5 hours at a reduced pressure of 10 Torr to remove the remaining acetone and water.
• the resulting product was pulverized in a mortar to obtain 111 g of a fine white powder.
• the thus obtained silicone compound 4 has a theoretical structure such that content of the phenyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 35.8% by mole; content of the potassium sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom by the intervening propyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 37.5% by mole; it has siloxane bond; content of the branched structure containing trifunctional siloxane unit in all siloxane unit is 80% by mole.
• the solution was stirred for 5 hours for maturing while heating the flask to an inner temperature of 67°C in refluxing methanol.
• the reaction solution gradually started to get cloudy in the course of this maturing under reflux, and upon completion of the maturing, the solution was a cloudy homogeneous dispersion. pH of this reaction solution was confirmed to be in the range of 1 to 2 by a pH test paper, and the amount of the hydrogen peroxide remaining in the reaction solution was 0.5 mg/L or less when confirmed by a hydrogen peroxide checker (test paper).
• the content in the form of cake which failed to dissolve in the methanol was added to a mixed solvent of 200 g of methanol and 300 g of ion exchanged water, and the mixture was stirred for 1 hour with cooling in an ice water.
• the resulting homogeneous dispersion was filtered to remove the remaining ionic impurities.
• the resulting product in the form of a cake was washed with acetone, and then dried at 100°C for 5 hours at a reduced pressure of 10 Torr to remove the remaining acetone and water.
• the resulting product was pulverized in a mortar to obtain 83 g of a fine white powder.
• the thus obtained silicone compound 5 has a theoretical structure such that content of the phenyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 0% by mole; content of the potassium sulfonate salt group bonded to the silicon atom by the intervening propyl group in relation to all organic groups bonded to the silicon atom in the molecule is 21.4% by mole; it has siloxane bond; content of the branched structure containing trifunctional siloxane unit in all siloxane unit is 60% by mole.
• the components were blended by the formulation as shown in Tables 1 and 2, and the mixture was kneaded and pelletized in a single shaft extruder VS-40 (manufactured by Tanabe Plastic) at a barrel temperature of 260°C.
• the resulting pellets were dried at 120°C (110°C in the case of ABS resin) for 5 hours, and injection molded by using Sicap M-2 manufactured by Sumitomo Heavy Industries, Ltd. under the conditions including a clamping force of 75T, a cylinder temperature of 270° C (260° C in the case of ABS resin), and a mold temperature of 100°C to produce test pieces at a cycle of 60 seconds.
• the resulting test pieces were evaluated by the procedure as described below. The results are shown in Tables 1 and 2.
• the flame retardant resin compositions of the present invention were superior in flame retardancy, Izod impact strength, total light transmittance (transparency/resin system containing PC resin), outer appearance of the molded article (resin system containing ABS resin), and resistance to mold deposit (resin system containing ABS resin).

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